Atharvaveda 18.3

This woman, choosing her husband's world, lies down (ni-pad) by thee that art departed, O mortal, continuing to keep [her] ancient duty (dhárma); to her assign thou here progeny and property.

Go up, O woman, to the world of the living; thou liest by (upa-çī) this one who is deceased: come! to him who grasps thy hand, thy second spouse (didhiṣú), thou hast now entered into the relation of wife to husband.

I saw the maiden being led, being led about, alive, for the dead; as she was enclosed with blind darkness, then I led her off-ward (ápācī) from in front (prāktás).

Foreknowing, O inviolable one, the world of the living, moving together [with him] upon the road of the gods—this is thy herdsman (gópati); enjoy him; make him ascend to the heavenly (svargá) world.

Unto sky (div), unto reed, more helpful of streams; O Agni, gall of the waters art thou.

Whom thou, O Agni, didst consume, him do thou extinguish again;, let there grow here the kyā́mbū, the çāṇḍadūrvā́, the vyàlkaçā.

Here is one for thee, beyond is one for thee; enter thou into union with the third light; at entrance be thou fair (cā́ru) with [thy] body, loved of the gods in the highest station.

Rise thou, go forth, run forth; make thee a home (ókas) in the sea [as] station; there do thou, in concord with the Fathers, revel with soma, with the svadhā́s.

Start (cyu) forward, collect (sam-bhṛ) thy body; let not thy limbs (gā́tra) nor thy frame (çárīra) be left out; enter together after thy mind that has entered; wherever in the world thou enjoyest, thither go.

Let the soma-drinking (somyá) Fathers anoint me with splendor, the gods with honey, with ghee; making me pass further on unto sight, let them increase me, attaining old age, unto old age.

Let Agni anoint me completely with splendor; let Vishṇu anoint wisdom into my mouth; let all the gods fix wealth upon me; let pleasant waters purify me with purifiers.

Mitra-and-Varuṇa have enclosed (pari-dhā) me; let the sacrificial posts of Aditi increase me; let Indra anoint splendor into my hands; let Savitar make me one attaining old age.

Him who died first of mortals, who went forth first to that world, Vivasvant's son, assembler of people, king Yama honor ye with oblation.

Go away, ye Fathers, and come; this sacrifice is all anointed with honey for you; both give to us here excellent property, and assign to us wealth having all heroes.

Let Kaṇva, Kakshīvant, Purumīḍha, Agastya, Çyāvāçva, Sobharī, Archanānas, Viçvāmitra, Jamadagni here, Atri, Kaçyapa, Vāmadeva, aid us.

O Viçvāmitra, Jamadagni, Vasishṭha, Bharadvāja, Gotama, Vāmadeva—Atri hath taken (grabh) our çardís with obeisances; ye Fathers of good report, be gracious to us.

They overpass defilement (riprá), wiping [it] off in the metal bowl (? kasyá), assuming further on newer life-time, filling themselves up with progeny and riches; then may we be of good odor in the houses.

They anoint, they anoint out (ví), they anoint together (sám); they lick the rite (? krátu), they smear (abhi-añj) with honey; the bull (ukṣán) flying in the upheaving of the river, the victim (paçú) do the gold-purifiers seize (gṛh) in them ⌊f.⌋.

What of you is joyous, O Fathers, and delectable (somyá), therewith be at hand (sac), for ye are of own splendor; do ye, rapid (? árvan) poets, listen, beneficent, invoked at the council.

Ye who are Atris, An̄girases, Navagvas, having sacrificed, attached to giving (? rātiṣā́c), bestowers (dádhāna), and who are rich in sacrificial fees, well-doing—do ye revel, sitting on this barhís.

So then as our distant Fathers, the ancient ones, O Agni, sharpening the rite: they went to the bright, they shone,* ⌊should be shining⌋, praising with song; splitting the ground, they uncovered the ruddy ones.

Of good actions, well-shining, pious, heavenly ones (devá), forging the generations as [smiths forge] metal, brightening Agni, increasing Indra, they have made for us a wide conclave (pariṣád), rich in kine.

As herds at food (kṣúm), the formidable one hath looked over ⌊áti⌋ the cattle, the births of the gods, near by; mortals have lamented the urváçīs, unto the increase of the pious, of the next man.

We have made [sacrifices] for thee; we have been very active; the illuminating (vi-bhā) dawns have shone upon [our] rite (ṛtá); all that is excellent which the gods favor; may we talk big at the council, having good heroes.

Let Indra with the Maruts protect me from the eastern quarter; arm-moved [is] the earth, as it were to the sky above; to the world-makers, the road-makers, do we sacrifice, whoever of you are here, sharing in the oblation of the gods.

Let Dhātar protect me from perdition from the southern quarter; arm-moved etc. etc.

Let Aditi with the Ādityas protect me from the western quarter; arm-moved etc. etc.

Let Soma with all the gods protect me from the northern quarter; arm-moved etc. etc.

Dhartar the maintainer shall maintain thee aloft, as Savitar the light (bhānú) to the sky above; to the world-makers etc. etc.

In the eastern quarter, away from approach (?), do I set thee in svadhā́; arm-moved etc. etc.

In the southern quarter, away etc. etc.

In the western quarter, away etc. etc.

In the northern quarter, away etc. etc.

In the fixed quarter, away etc. etc.

In the upward quarter, away etc. etc.

Dhartar ('maintainer') art thou; maintaining art thou; bull (váṅsaga) art thou.

Water-purifying art thou; honey-purifying art thou; wind-purifying art thou.

Both from here and from yonder let them (du.) aid me.

Be ye comfortable (? svā́sastha) for our soma.
I yoke for you ancient worship (bráhman) with obeisances; the song (çlóka) goes forth like a patron (sūrí) on his road; let all the immortals hear that.

Three steps the form (?) ascended, it went (?) after the four-footed one (f.) with its course (vratá); it matches the song (arká) with the syllable; in the navel of right it purifies.

For the gods he chose death; for his progeny did he not choose immortality (amṛ́ta)? Brihaspati [as] seer extended the sacrifice; Yama left (ā-ric) his dear self (?).

Thou, O Agni, Jātavedas, being praised, hast carried the offerings, having made them fragrant; thou hast given to the Fathers; they have eaten after their wont (? svadháyā); eat thou, O god, the presented oblations.

Sitting in the lap of the ruddy ones (f.), assign ye wealth to your mortal worshiper (dāçvā́ṅs); of that good, O Fathers, present ye to your sons; do ye bestow (dhā) refreshment here.

Ye fire-sweetened Fathers, come hither; sit on each seat, well-conducting ones; eat on the barhís the presented oblations, and assign to us wealth having all heroes.

Called unto [are] our delectable (somyá) Fathers, to dear deposits on the barhís; let them come; let them listen here; let them bless, let them aid us.

They who, our father's fathers, who [his] grandfathers, followed after (? anu-hā) the soma-drinking, best ones—with them let Yama, sharing his gift of oblations, he eager with them eager, eat at pleasure.

They who thirsted panting among the gods, knowers of offering, praise-fashioned, with songs (arká)—come, O Agni, with the thousand god-revering true poets, seers sitting at the gharmá.

The true, oblation-eating, oblation-drinking ⌊ones⌋, that [go] in alliance (sarátham) with the gods, with strong (turá) Indra—come hitherward, O Agni, with the beneficent, exalted (pára), ancient seers, sitting at the gharmá.

Approach (upa-sṛp) thou this mother earth (bhū́mi), the wide-expanded earth (pṛthivī́), the very propitious; the earth (pṛthivī́) [is] soft as wool to him who has sacrificial gifts; let her protect thee on the forward road in front.

Swell thou up, O earth; do not press down; be to him easy of access, easy of approach; as a mother her son with her skirt (síc), do thou, O earth (bhū́mi), cover him.

Let the earth kindly remain swelling up, for let a thousand props support (upa-çri) it; let these houses, dripping with ghee, pleasant, be forever a refuge for him there (átra).

I brace up (ut-stabh) the earth from about thee; setting down this clod (? logá), let me take no harm; this pillar do the Fathers maintain for thee; let Yama there make seats for thee.

This bowl, O Agni, do not warp (vi-hvṛ); [it is] dear to the gods and the delectable [Fathers]; this bowl here for the gods to drink from—in it let the immortal gods revel.

The bowl that Atharvan bore full to Indra the vigorous, in that he makes a draught of what is well done; in that, soma (índu) ever purifies itself.

What of thee the black bird (çakuná) thrust at, the ant, the serpent, or also the beast of prey (çvā́pada), let the all-eating ⌊viçva-ád⌋ Agni make that free from disease, and the soma that hath entered the Brahmans.

Rich in milk are the herbs; rich in milk is my milk; what is the milk of the milk of the waters, therewith let one beautify (çubh) me.

Let these women, not widows, well-spoused, touch themselves with ointment, with butter; tearless, without disease, with good treasures, let the wives ascend first to the place of union.

Unite thyself (sam-gam) with the Fathers, with Yama, with thy sacred and charitable works in the highest firmament; abandoning what is reproachful, come again home;—let him unite himself with a body, very splendid.

They that are our father's fathers, that are [his] grandfathers, that entered the wide atmosphere—for them may the autocratic (svarā́j) second life today shape our bodies as he will.

Let the mist be weal for thee; let the frost fall down [as] weal for thee; O cool one, possessing cool ones; O refreshing one, possessing refreshing ones; mayest thou be with weal a she-frog in the waters; kindly pacify thou this fire.

Let Vivasvant make for us freedom from fear, he who is well-preserving, quick-giving (? -dā́nu), well-giving; let these heroes be many here; let there be in me prosperity (puṣṭá) rich in kine, rich in horses.

Let Vivasvant set us in immortality; let death go away; let what is immortal come to us; let [him] defend these men until old age; let not their life-breaths (ásu) go to Yama.

He who maintains himself by his might, like [birds?] in the atmosphere, poet of the Fathers, favorer (? prámati) of prayers (matí)—him praise ye, all-befriended, with oblations; may that Yama give (dhā) us to live further on.

Ascend ye to the highest heaven; O seers, be not afraid; ye soma-drinkers, soma-drenchers, this oblation is made to you; we have gone to the highest light.

Agni shines forth with great show (ketú); the bull roars loudly unto the two firmaments (ródasī); ⌊even⌋ from the end of heaven he hath attained unto me (?); in the lap of the waters the buffalo increased.

As, longing with the heart, they looked upon thee, flying up* [as] an eagle in the firmament (nā́ka), golden-winged messenger of Varuṇa, busy (bhuraṇyú) bird (çakuná) in the lair of Yama.

O Indra, bring us ability (krátu), as a father to his sons; help (çikṣ) us in this course (yā́man), O much-invoked one; may we, living, attain to light.

What vessels covered (api-dhā) with cakes the gods maintained for thee, be they for thee rich in svadhā́, rich in honey, dripping with ghee.

What grains I scatter along for thee, mixed with sesame, rich in svadhā́, be they for thee abundant (vibhú), prevailing; them let king Yama approve for thee.

Give back, O forest tree, him who is deposited here with thee, that in Yama's seat he may sit speaking counsels.

Take hold, O Jātavedas; let thy seizure (háras) be with sharpness (téjas-); his body do thou consume; then set him in the world of the well-doing.

What Fathers of thine went away earlier and what later, for them let there go a brook of ghee, hundred-streamed, overflowing.

Ascend thou this, gaining (ud-mṛj) vigor (váyas); thine own [people] shine here greatly; go forth, unto [them],—be not left behind midway—unto the world of the Fathers that is first there.